A Detailed Inquiry into the Most Auspicious Hexagram Lines in the Zhou Yi: From 'Yuan Ji' to 'Ji Wu Buli'

Chapter 10: Sun Six at the Fifth Place (损六五): "Someone Presents Him with a Tortoise Worth Ten Pairs of Shells; He Cannot Refuse. Supremely Auspicious (Yuan Ji)"

Section 1: Yao Lyric and Basic Interpretation

The yao lyric for Sun (损) Six at the Fifth Place (损六五) states:

"Someone presents him with a tortoise worth ten pairs of shells; he cannot refuse. Supremely auspicious (Yuan Ji)." (或益之十朋之龟，弗克违，元吉。)

This yao is a Yin line in a Yang position (the fifth place is Yang), thus not in the correct position. However, it is in the center of the upper trigram, achieving centrality.

"Someone presents him with a tortoise worth ten pairs of shells" (或益之十朋之龟)—Someone gifts him a tortoise worth ten pairs of shells. "Ten pairs of shells" (十朋之龟) was an extremely precious treasure in pre-Qin times. The tortoise is an object for divination, and a tortoise worth ten pairs of shells was the most precious spiritual tortoise.

"He cannot refuse" (弗克违)—Meaning this gift is so great and so sincere that he cannot decline.

"Yuan Ji" (元吉)—Supreme goodness, utmost auspiciousness.

Section 2: Why Does Sun Six at the Fifth Place Attain "Yuan Ji"$16

The theme of the Sun hexagram (䷨) is "Sun" (损)—diminishing, self-diminishing. The hexagram statement states:

"Sun (Diminishing). With sincerity, supremely auspicious (Yuan Ji), without blame (Wu Jiu). It is persistent and beneficial to have somewhere to go. What is used$17 Two bamboo bowls may be used for the offering." (损，有孚，元吉，无咎，可贞，利有攸往。曷之用？二簋可用享。)

The spirit of the Sun hexagram is: through sincerity ("you fu," 有孚), one self-diminishes, leading to supreme auspiciousness, no blame, persistence, and benefit in one's endeavors. Even sacrifices only require simple offerings of two bamboo bowls—this represents the utmost simplicity and purity of virtue.

In this context of "self-diminishing," Six at the Fifth Place, with its Yin and soft nature occupying the position of honor, is a typical example of "self-diminishing"—occupying a firm position with softness, occupying a position of honor with humility, diminishing one's own noble status.

However, precisely because of self-diminishing, one receives the greatest increase—"Someone presents him with a tortoise worth ten pairs of shells" (或益之十朋之龟). He who diminishes himself is instead increased—he who is humble is instead honored, he who is lowly is instead elevated—this precisely aligns with the Qian hexagram's Tuan Zhuan statement, "The Way of Heaven diminishes the full and benefits the humble."

One diminishes oneself to benefit others, and Heaven inversely benefits him—this is the fundamental reason for "Yuan Ji."

Section 3: The Dialectic of Sun and Yi

The Sun and Yi hexagrams are complementary hexagrams. The Sun hexagram diminishes the upper and benefits the lower; the Yi hexagram diminishes the upper and benefits the lower.

Sun Six at the Fifth Place's "Someone presents him with a tortoise worth ten pairs of shells" precisely reveals the dialectical relationship between diminishing and benefiting: He who diminishes himself is instead benefited by Heaven; he who is humble is honored by Heaven; he who is lowly is elevated by Heaven.

Laozi states:

"What one wishes to take, one must first give." (将欲取之，必固与之。)

And again:

"Therefore, the sage puts himself last and comes first; he sets himself aside and preserves himself." (是以圣人后其身而身先，外其身而身存。)

And again:

"The Way of Heaven diminishes the abundant and supplements the lacking." (天之道，损有余而补不足。)

These pre-Qin philosophical ideas are completely consistent with the spirit of Sun Six at the Fifth Place.

Section 4: Pre-Qin Divination Cases

The Zuo Zhuan contains several records of divinations involving the Sun hexagram or related contexts. Although there are no direct cases using Sun Six at the Fifth Place as the basis for divination, the spirit of the Sun hexagram—"self-diminishing leads to increased benefit"—is widely reflected in pre-Qin political practice.

For example, the Zuo Zhuan, Thirty-third Year of Duke Xi, records Duke Mu of Qin's defeat at Yao and his release of the three generals, including Meng Ming:

"Marquis Qin, dressed in plain clothes, stayed overnight in the camp outside the city. He faced the army and wept, saying: 'I, the solitary one, failed Jian Shu and disgraced you, my two or three servants. This is my fault.'" (秦伯素服郊次，向师而哭，曰：'孤违蹇叔以辱二三子，孤之罪也。')

Duke Mu of Qin diminished his own status (wearing plain clothes and weeping, admitting his fault) and did not blame his subordinates—this is precisely the spirit of "Sun" (diminishing). Subsequently, Duke Mu of Qin diligently governed and eventually dominated the western barbarians—diminishing himself and gaining benefits in return.